Judah’s King Ahaz

16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah,^(A) Ahaz^(B) son of Jotham became king of Judah. ² Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God like his ancestor David^{(C) 3} but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel.^(D) He even sacrificed his son in the fire,^[a] imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.^{(E) 4} He sacrificed and burned incense^(F) on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.^(G)

⁵ Then^(H) Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah came to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but were not able to conquer him.^{(I) 6} At that time Aram’s King Rezin recovered Elath for Aram and expelled the Judahites from Elath.^(J) Then the Arameans came to Elath, and they still live there today.^(K)

⁷ So Ahaz sent messengers^(L) to King Tiglath-pileser^(M) of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. March up and save me from the grasp of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” ⁸ Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace and sent them to the king of Assyria as a bribe.^{(N) 9} So the king of Assyria listened to him^(O) and marched up to Damascus and captured it.^(P) He deported its people to Kir^(Q) but put Rezin to death.

Ahaz’s Idolatry

¹⁰ King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath-pileser^(R) of Assyria. When he saw the altar that was in Damascus, King Ahaz sent a model of the altar and complete plans for its construction to the priest Uriah.^{(S) 11} Uriah built the altar according to all the instructions King Ahaz sent from Damascus. Therefore, by the time King Ahaz came back from Damascus, the priest Uriah had completed it. ¹² When the king came back from Damascus, he saw the altar. Then he approached the altar^(T) and ascended it.^{[b] 13} He offered his burnt offering^(U) and his grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and splattered the blood of his fellowship offerings^(V) on the altar. ¹⁴ He took the bronze altar^(W) that was before the Lord in front of the temple between his altar and the Lord’s temple, and put it on the north side of his altar.

¹⁵ Then King Ahaz commanded the priest Uriah, “Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering. Also offer the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings. Splatter on the altar all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of sacrifice. The bronze altar will be for me to seek guidance.”^{[c] 16} The priest Uriah did everything King Ahaz commanded.

¹⁷ Then King Ahaz cut off the frames of the water carts^[d](X) and removed the bronze basin from each of them. He took the basin^[e](Y) from the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pavement. ¹⁸ To satisfy the king of Assyria, he removed from the Lord’s temple the Sabbath canopy they had built in the palace, and he closed the outer entrance for the king.

Ahaz’s Death

¹⁹ The rest^(Z) of the events of Ahaz’s reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^{(AA) 20} Ahaz rested with his ancestors^(AB) and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David, and his son Hezekiah became king in his place.

Judah’s King Ahaz

28 Ahaz was twenty years old^(A) when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the Lord’s sight^(B) like his ancestor David, ² for he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel^(C) and made cast images of the Baals.^{(D) 3} He burned incense in Ben Hinnom Valley^(E) and burned his children in^[a](F) the fire, imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.^{(G) 4} He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places,^(H) on the hills, and under every green tree.

⁵ So the Lord his God handed Ahaz over^(I) to the king of Aram. He attacked him and took many captives to Damascus.

Ahaz was also handed over to the king of Israel, who struck him with great force: ⁶ Pekah son of Remaliah killed one hundred twenty thousand in Judah in one day—all brave men—because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors. ⁷ An Ephraimite warrior named Zichri killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam governor of the palace, and Elkanah who was second to the king. ⁸ Then the Israelites took two hundred thousand captives from their brothers—women, sons, and daughters.^(J) They also took a great deal of plunder from them and brought it to Samaria.

⁹ A prophet of the Lord named Oded was there. He went out to meet the army that came to Samaria and said to them, “Look, the Lord God of your ancestors handed them over to you because of his wrath against Judah,^(K) but you slaughtered them in a rage that has reached heaven.^{(L) 10} Now you plan to reduce the people of Judah and Jerusalem, male and female, to slavery. Are you not also guilty before the Lord your God? ¹¹ Listen to me and return the captives you took from your brothers,^(M) for the Lord’s burning anger is on you.”

¹² So some men who were leaders of the Ephraimites—Azariah son of Jehohanan, Berechiah son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah son of Shallum, and Amasa son of Hadlai—stood in opposition to those coming from the war. ¹³ They said to them, “You must not bring the captives here, for you plan to bring guilt on us from the Lord to add to our sins and our guilt. For we have much guilt, and burning anger is on Israel.”

¹⁴ The army left the captives and the plunder in the presence of the officers and the congregation. ¹⁵ Then the men who were designated by name^(N) took charge of the captives and provided clothes for their naked ones from the plunder. They clothed them, gave them sandals, food and drink,^(O) dressed their wounds, and provided donkeys for all the feeble. The Israelites brought them to Jericho, the City of Palms,^(P) among their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.

¹⁶ At that time King Ahaz asked the king of Assyria for help.^{(Q) 17} The Edomites came again, attacked Judah, and took captives.^{(R) 18} The Philistines also raided the cities of the Judean foothills^[b] and the Negev of Judah.^(S) They captured and occupied Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their surrounding villages. ¹⁹ For the Lord humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Judah,^[c] who threw off restraint in Judah and was unfaithful to the Lord. ²⁰ Then King Tiglath-pileser^[d](T) of Assyria came against Ahaz; he oppressed him and did not give him support.^{(U) 21} Although Ahaz plundered the Lord’s temple and the palace of the king and of the rulers and gave the plunder to the king of Assyria, it did not help him.

²² At the time of his distress, King Ahaz himself became more unfaithful to the Lord. ²³ He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him; he said, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram are helping them, I will sacrifice to them so that they will help me.”^(V) But they were the downfall of him and of all Israel.

²⁴ Then Ahaz gathered up the utensils of God’s temple, cut them into pieces,^(W) shut the doors of the Lord’s temple,^(X) and made himself altars on every street corner in Jerusalem.^{(Y) 25} He made high places in every city of Judah to offer incense to other gods, and he angered the Lord, the God of his ancestors.

Ahaz’s Death

²⁶ As for the rest of his deeds^(Z) and all his ways, from beginning to end, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ²⁷ Ahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city, in Jerusalem, but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah became king in his place.

The Message to Ahaz

7 This took place during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah:^(A) Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah went to fight against Jerusalem,^(B) but they were not able to conquer it.

² When it became known to the house of David^(C) that Aram had occupied Ephraim,^(D) the heart of Ahaz^[a] and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind.

³ The Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub^[b](E) to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,^(F) by the road to the Launderer’s Field. ⁴ Say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Don’t be afraid or cowardly^(G) because of these two smoldering sticks, the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram, and the son of Remaliah. ⁵ For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted harm against you. They say, ⁶ ‘Let’s go up against Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it for ourselves. Then we can install Tabeel’s son as king in it.’”

⁷ This is what the Lord God says:

The Immanuel Prophecy

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz: ¹¹ “Ask for a sign^(I) from the Lord your God—it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”

¹² But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”